The Unusual Days
by Kaffy
Summary: Richard and Caroline finish unusually early and Richard goes home to some unusual circumstances...


The Unusual Days  
  
*****Caroline's Apartment*****  
  
It was an unusual day at Caroline's apartment. Richard and Caroline sat working quietly at the desk, enjoying each other's company. Both of them were secretly in love with the other, but neither aware of the other's feelings. So, they continued to work quietly, with an occasional glance up. Occasionally, Richard asked for a different color, but unusually, that was the extent of their conversation. After an hour or so, there was a knock at the door. Caroline sighed, exasperated at the interruption, and got up to answer the door.   
  
"Hey Honey." It was Trevor.  
  
"Hey, come on in." Caroline responded with a smile. Trevor came in and gave her a quick hug before settling down on the couch. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I was wondering if you wanted to go out to dinner tonight..."  
  
"Sure, what time?"  
  
"I don't know, how about 6:30."  
  
"Ok."  
  
"Well I have to go back to work, I'll see you later tonight." He got up off the couch, hugging Caroline and giving her a soft kiss before leaving. Richard watched all of this go on, bitterly jealous. He had Julia, but he was beginning to resign himself to the fact that she wasn't doing anything for him anymore. He was beginning to see through her outer beauty to the shallow, insensitive person underneath.  
  
Caroline went back to work. They continued to work in silence. Their unusual diligence caused them to finish unusually early. They finished up just before lunchtime. Caroline sighed and said, "Well, it looks like we're done here. You can go home and see Julia if you want." Secretly, she wanted him to stay. She loved being in his company, even she couldn't have him.  
  
Richard didn't want to leave. He racked his brain trying to think of a reason to stay. "Are you sure you won't come up with something else for me to do? I don't want to go if you are going to need me later."  
  
"No, that's all I wanted to do for the day. I was going to go to the Museum, there's a new Pop Art exhibit that I wanted to see. Don't worry, you aren't leaving by choice so I'll pay you for the whole day."  
  
"Oh. Well, would you like some company?" He said, regretting it the instant he said it. He would be close to Caroline all day and he wasn't sure if he could contain himself.  
  
"Sure, I guess. I just thought you didn't like Pop Art, I thought you were more into abstract art."  
  
"I am," he said grabbing their coats and helping Caroline with hers, "But I can appreciate Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns just as much as the next guy." So off to the museum they went.  
  
*****At the Museum*****  
  
It wasn't the first time Caroline and Richard went to a museum together, but it always felt like it was to Caroline. He was so passionate about the art world and everything that had to do with it. She usually had a hard time analyzing art, but when Richard was with her, she could see beyond the color and strokes to the feeling behind it, Richard made her feel the paintings instead of just seeing them.  
  
Richard loved going to the museum with Caroline. He knew that she didn't understand the paintings, but he also knew that she had a genuine interest in understanding them. He loved explaining them to her. He loved the look of pure joy on her face when understanding hit her and she was able to step back and appreciate not only the beauty of the painting, but also the ideas and feelings behind each piece.   
  
They made their way through the pop art, but decided to stay and look at some the impressionist and surreal art too. They were so encapsulated by each other, they didn't realize that 6:30 came and went. When they finished, Caroline looked down at her watch and screamed, "Oh my God, I was supposed to meet Trevor half an hour ago."  
  
Richard looked upset too, "Julia is going to kill me."  
  
"I better get going, I'll see you tomorrow..." With that, they went their separate ways. Both of them were secretly happy knowing that the other would probably get into a fight with their significant others and sad that they would have to face their own wife and boyfriend at the same time.  
  
*****Caroline's Apartment*****  
  
Trevor was waiting for Caroline when she opened the door. "Where have you been? We were supposed to leave a half hour ago..."  
  
"I'm sorry, Richard and I went to the art museum and lost track of time."  
  
"Of course, Richard. Why does he always ruin our plans?"  
  
"What are you talking about? I'm just a little late, we can still go?"  
  
"I'm just getting sick of this Caroline, he always comes first. Why did you lose track of time?"   
  
Caroline didn't want to answer that question. She knew the answer: she was enjoying herself with Richard, but she couldn't tell Trevor that, it would be the final straw. "I don't know why, we just did..." She trailed off, not knowing how to finish her sentence.   
  
Trevor sighed, "You still love him, don't you?" His voice was soft with the barest hint of sadness and insecurity. He was hurt and she knew it.  
  
"Of course not, I love you - not Richard." She slowly made her way over to him and embraced him. She hated herself for lying. Yes, she loved Trevor, but she also loved Richard, more than she thought she could ever love anyone, but she knew he would never love her back, so she wanted to stay with Trevor, he treated her well, he didn't hurt her.  
  
Trevor smiled down at her, seemingly convinced of her confession, "Ok, let's go to dinner," and they left, hand in hand.  
  
*****Richard and Julia's Apartment*****  
  
Not unlike Trevor, Julia was waiting for Richard when he got home. "Reechard, where have been? You were supposed to get off of work 2 and a half hours ago!"  
  
"I'm sorry, Julia. Caroline and I went to the museum and lost track of the time." He knew that she would be very upset about it. She hated the fact that he worked for Caroline at all. She wanted him to spend every waking minute with her, adoring her.  
  
"Damn it, Reechard. I'm sick of this. It is always about Caroline. You should quit that stupid job, you can do so much better." Julia knew that he was in love with Caroline; she could see it in his eyes.   
  
"Julia, we can't afford it. She pays me well, besides, she's my friend." Richard was trying to think of any reason why he couldn't quit. The thought of not seeing Caroline in some way everyday felt like torture to him. He almost couldn't breathe at the thought of it. "I can't just quit for no reason."  
  
**********  
  
A month went by and Richard and Caroline returned to their usual routine of chatting aimlessly while they worked. They didn't have a day where they finished early the whole time. In fact, Richard had to stay overtime a lot because they couldn't get any work done. He was so happy about not having to leave that he didn't notice that Julia wasn't that upset about all of the overtime he had to work.  
  
*****Caroline's Apartment*****  
  
It was another unusual day. Caroline and Richard worked in complete silence, again. It seemed they had nothing to talk about. Finishing up around noon, Caroline said, "Well, Richard, I really don't have anything else for you. Why don't you go home and see Julia?"  
  
Richard didn't really want to go, but he remembered the tantrum Julia had thrown the last time this situation presented itself. "Yeah, ok. I think I will. See you tomorrow Caroline."   
  
With that Richard left. Having nothing better to do, Caroline curled up on the couch with a book.  
  
*****Richard and Julia's Apartment*****  
  
Richard walked in to his apartment, going through his mail. Upon looking down, he saw a man's shirt on the ground, immediately recognizing it wasn't his own. He looked at the bed and saw his wife with another man. He just stared at her in awe. How could she do this to him? He stared at them, dumbfounded for a couple of minutes, listening to him call out her name, his heart lurching a little more with each time he said it. He wasn't brought out of his reverie until he heard her call out his name, "Oh, Trevor!"   
  
It was the straw that broke the camel's back. "What the Hell do you two think you're doing?"  
  
Julia and Trevor jumped out of bed in surprise. "Reechard! What are you doing home so early?" Her and Trevor started dressing very quickly.  
  
"Caroline and I finished early...what the hell do you think you're doing?"  
  
Trevor quickly jumped in, "Look, Richard, I'm sorry. It was a mistake..."  
  
"Trevor, I'll handle this. Reechard, I'm so sorry this was a mistake. I never meant to hurt you."  
  
"It's a little late for that Julia. How could you do this to me?"  
  
"It just happened..." both Trevor and Julia said at the same time.  
  
"How long has this been going on?" Both of them looked at the floor guiltily, neither of them wanting to answer his question. "I want to know how long this has been going on, you owe me that." He said it quietly, with a small hint of sadness.  
  
Julia sighed, "About a month. But we've needed to talk for much longer than that."  
  
Trevor took that as his cue to leave, realizing that this was a problem between Julia and Richard. "Ok, I'll just be leaving now. For what it's worth, Richard, I'm sorry. I'll be over at Caroline's." He shut the door quietly and left.  
  
Richard didn't know what to do. He wanted to run to Caroline right away and tell her, knowing that Trevor wouldn't. On the other hand, his marriage was crumbling and he couldn't just walk out...could he?  
  
"Reechard, what is going on with you. You've been so distant in the last few weeks."  
  
Richard was distracted. He couldn't look her in the eye to talk about his relationship with her when all he could think about what Caroline. "I have to go see Caroline."  
  
"Reechard, wait!" He paused, contemplating what she was going to say, already knowing what it was. "I'm pouring my broken heart out to you and all you can think about is that silly girl, Caroline. We need to talk about this."  
  
"It's too late, Julia. I want a divorce. Now, I'm going to Caroline's." With that, he left without giving her a chance to argue.  
  
**********  
  
The cab ride over to her apartment was the longest he had ever experienced in his whole life. How could Trevor do this to her? Isn't he supposed to love her? I would never mess up my chance with her like this. Oh God, how am I going to tell her? Finally, he got to her building. He threw the driver a $20 bill, hoping it covered everything and ran inside to catch the elevator.  
  
*****Caroline's Apartment*****  
  
Caroline was sitting on the couch, still reading, when Trevor walked in. "Hey honey, whatcha' reading?" He was trying to hide the massive guilt he felt in his gut.  
  
Caroline turned the book over and read the title to him, not noticing his guilty demeanor. "Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone. My mom has been ranting and raving and about how good it is for weeks. So, I promised I'd get started." She got up and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before going to the kitchen and pouring herself a cup of coffee.  
  
Trevor tried to be nonchalant, knowing Caroline would always give someone the benefit of the doubt and that she trusted people when she probably shouldn't. "So, where's Richard, shouldn't you guys be working right now?"  
  
"Oh, we finished early so I told him he could go home."  
  
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Caroline went to open it. "Richard, what are you doing here? Did you forget something?"  
  
Richard brushed right past her. He looked at Trevor and glared. How could he come here and act like absolutely nothing had happened? How dare he hurt her like this? He turned to Caroline, "I have to talk to you about something...in private."  
  
Trevor knew where this was going. He quickly pulled Richard aside and whispered urgently, "Richard, don't tell her. You're only going to cause her unnecessary pain."  
  
Richard couldn't believe it. He was trying to get away with cheating on such a perfect woman. "Me? I'm causing her pain? I don't think so, Trevor, you're the one who's causing it."  
  
Caroline sat there confused. She could tell that they were fighting. "What's going on?" she asked, but both Trevor and Richard ignored her. They weren't whispering anymore; they were yelling.  
  
Trevor was shouting, "Richard, think about how this going to feel. Are you willing to put her through that? It's better if she doesn't know!"  
  
"She has to know! How could I live with myself if I didn't tell Caroline you were cheating on her?! She's my friend!"  
  
"What did you just say?"   
  
Both Richard and Trevor slowly realized that Caroline was still in the room. Neither of them answered. Richard wanted Trevor to tell her and Trevor hoped it would just go away. Caroline turned to Trevor, "What is going on, Trevor? Is what Richard said true?"  
  
Trevor couldn't believe it. She thinks it might not be true. "No, honey. Richard is lying."   
  
"That's not true, Caroline. When I got home, I saw him in bed with Julia."  
  
"Stop lying, Richard. Why are you doing this to us?" Trevor smiled slightly, he was going to get away with it.  
  
At that point in time, Julia was standing in the doorway. "Reechard, we need to talk about this!"  
  
Richard sighed, "There's nothing to talk about, Julia. I caught you in bed with another man. It's over."  
  
"But Trevor and I were just fooling around. It was never anything serious."  
  
Caroline interjected, "What did you just say? You and Trevor were sleeping together?" Julia shrugged.   
  
"I thought you knew. I thought Reechard told you already..." She really didn't know how to finish her thought.  
  
Caroline then turned to Trevor with a questioning look. Pretty soon, it turned to anger. "How could you do this to me Trevor? You lied to me? How long has this been going on?"  
  
Trevor looked at the floor dejected. "About a month. But Caroline, we've been having problems for longer than that and you know it."  
  
Julia interrupted, "Enough about you, I have to talk to Reechard."   
  
Caroline was so upset. "Both of you get out. I don't want to see either of you ever again!"  
  
They all looked up at her in surprise. "Caroline..." Trevor started, but she cut him off...  
  
"Trevor, you've been cheating on me with my best friend's wife for a month. Now, get the hell out."  
  
"Fine. I just want you to know that I really loved you and I'm truly sorry." With that, Trevor turned and quietly left the apartment and Caroline's life forever.  
  
"Reechard, come on. Let's go. We need to talk."  
  
Richard looked up at Julia and then at Caroline who was quietly sobbing quietly at the desk. "No, Julia. It's over, you can't change what you and I feel. Now leave." He looked over at Caroline, still sitting and weeping quietly. "Get out of my life."  
  
Julia suddenly became angry, "Fine, you'll be hearing from my attorney!" With that she stormed out of the room.  
  
*****-*****  
  
"Caroline, are you ok?" Richard asked as he quietly as he approached her. She didn't respond, but stood and embraced him instead, still crying. He automatically forgot how much it had hurt him that Julia did this to him. All he cared about was making Caroline feel better. "Shhh, it will be ok." He gently rocked her back and forth. Neither of them noticed that Annie walked in.  
  
"Caroline, do you have any sugar..." she trailed off as she saw Richard and Caroline in a silent hug. "Wow, you guys finally told each other how you feel. Congratulations! It's about time."  
  
Both Richard and Caroline turned at the same time, "What did you just say?" they asked simultaneously.  
  
Annie saw Caroline's tears and quickly realized that the hug was merely comforting, not out of love. "Oh my god, you didn't tell each other!"  
  
"Annie," Caroline asked, "What are you talking about?"  
  
Annie looked at both of them. She wasn't sure if she should tell them what she knew.  
  
Richard asked again, "Annie, what are you talking about?"  
  
The urgency in his voice made her decide. "Ok, I'm sick of you two not acting on this. Caroline, Richard has feelings for you. He has since before you broke up with Del."  
  
"Annie!" Richard couldn't believe her. She had no right to do this, he wanted to tell her in his own time.  
  
"Don't worry, Richard. Caroline feels the same way about you. She has ever since you got married. Ok, I'm leaving now. You two talk about this."  
  
*****-*****  
  
Caroline sat quietly on the couch while Richard sat on the chair. "Is she telling the truth, Caroline?"  
  
"Yes. For you too?"  
  
"Yes." Richard got up and sat across from her on the coffee table. He slowly bent forward and lightly kissed Caroline on the lips. "So what do we do now?"  
  
"I don't know. What do you think we do now?"  
  
"Well, maybe we should start dating then...?" He put it more as a question than a statement, not wanting to pressure her in any way.  
  
"Yeah, that would be nice."  
  
" I love you, Caroline."  
  
"I love you too."  



End file.
